Gastro intestinal

Description

EORTC research on the Gastrointestinal tract focuses on expanding what we know about the genetic, epigenetic and immunologic backgrounds of gastrointestinal tumour diseases. Clinical trials in this field focus on preclinical to clinical interaction and integrating early drug development, ensuring that new aspects of tumour biology are being investigated with appropriate contemporary technology.

The mission of the GI group is to develop therapeutic strategies through innovative studies, which are multidisciplinary, patient-centered and have a strong translational focus. It responds to the evolving landscape of cancer research by expanding its collaboration with different cancer research networks from Europe and Asia, enriching its pool of multidisciplinary experts and redesigning its young investigator’s program to enable future leaders to be at the forefront of GI cancer research.

Main Achievements

Published joint Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of hepatocellular carcinoma with the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) ; . These define the use of surveillance, diagnosis and therapeutic strategies recommended for patients with HCC.

The CLOCC randomised controlled phase II study performed in patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer suggests that radiofrequency ablation of liver lesions prolongs survival . Based on these findings, the group is now starting a study combining this approach with immunotherapy (ILOC study).